I lOVE PARIS!!!

This is it! this is what I have been waiting for!
I love travel! I knew I would. The first couple of days have been rough, getting lost, being tired, jet lagged, encountering language barriers and heavy bags but things have started looking up. I was meeting people, eating things, seeing things, I went on an exciting tour and I have fallen in love with what I now call “The City of Design” If Paris was a person, she too would be a Graphic Designer and a good one too. Oh I’m also at a 0% getting lost rate

Paris would be, as a designer, focused on perfection, on reasons and logic behind every design choice, consistent, sticking to a design of her own and not following the rest, sticking to tradition, ahead of the times and art wise, though she would have one massive ego! We will say, proud, she would be very proud and those that do not like her work, she would not care. Paris is hard to explain but I thought it was fantastic.

The best thing I did was take a free walking tour. Remember, “I’m a backpacker now, I’m on budget” so a free tour of the city (in english) sounded perfect! The tour company is called Sandemans and they are terrific, so good in fact that they even managed to up sell me their pub crawl and Montmartre tour.

Its really interesting to find out about the history of a city. Take for example this bridge below that goes over the river seine.

There are a whole bunch of ugly heads on this bridge which adds to the great detail in the architecture of Paris, but there is a reason and history behind this detail making it even more interesting. Apparently when King Henry build this bridge nobody wanted to go on the bridge, so he held a party on the bridge (this guy was apparently king party!). At this party was a sketch artist who would do caricatures of all the guest, later these caricatures became part of the bridges architecture. (click on the image for a closer look)

Paris amazes me in words I cannot explain! I don’t think anyone can! You either love Paris or you don’t. I was mesmerized by the city. It was beautiful and in a class of its own (with an ego of its own)

Although, just a tip, if you are planning on visiting Paris, I truly believe you need at least a week. I went for 4 days and felt there is so much more I need to see. I missed the catacombes, disney land, cruising the river Sienne and so much more! The Louvre itself takes 7 days to see everything.

Now the Parisians do not like anything ugly in there city, so focused on perfection and beauty, they really are a proud nation. The moment I realized paris was a designer was when I was being told about the history of the Louvre. Marie Antoinette, who after building the Louvre gardens had looked outside her window and noticed the louvre was uncentered to the gardens by about an inch, now this just couldn’t be! She wanted to move the building… Yes Marie, Im sure thats fee-sable! This was when in my head I couldn’t help but laugh and think oh Paris! So Design!

This pyramid is known as the louvre…

little do most people know The Louvre is actually this HUGE building! so HUGE that I had to take about 3/4 photos to manage the whole (ok i lie) half the building. It may of helped knowing the paromonic settings of my new camera to get the photos. The Louvre has actually been around for years! It started as a defense house in the middle ages, its been a palace, a place where homeless broke in and lived. The history was amazing, and to think it is now the greatest museum in the world!

But seriously you will get lost in this place, there is a museum for everything. There was even a museum of advertising, miss designer – right here had to check it out! (would of helped had the advertising been in English!)

Louvre tip -  Take a map, go on Friday after 6pm, its free and plan what you wish to see because you will NOT see everything and by the end you will have so much more you wish you had of seen.

Paris has one skyscraper (unlike most ugly cities with a billion of them) The Parisians hate this sky scrapper … its ugly, its not consistent with the rest of Paris. (the design aspect continues, and with reason I believe.) The Parisians actually wanted to tear the skyscraper down but thankfully they have not been able to because of an asbestos problem. Now if you go to Paris of course you are going to do the tourist thing and wait in line for hours to go all the way up to the top of the Eiffel Tower… Don’t… ok do if you wish. But my suggestion would be to instead go up to the top of the skyscraper Tower Montparnasse and view the city from there. not only will you get better views of the city then up the top of the Eiffel Tower but you will be standing on the most ugly thing in Paris looking at all the beautiful things, and you avoid the crowds. apparently they have fantastic crepes there though i couldn’t find them, if you ever do please drop me a line and let me know if there as fantastic as i have heard.

On a last note. That moment that you (assuming your planning on going to Paris) That moment that you see the Eiffel Tower, even if from a distance with pollution and fog in the way of a good view, is amazing! and you cant help but feel stunned and think “wow I am in Paris” It was an amazing feeling, It feels surreal and like a dream, but you are living that dream. The below photo was my surreal moment. Its very far in the distance but it still took my breathe away. (you may need to click on the pic to see it closer lol)

The tower at night is more beautiful and touches you more then any postcard or google image search ever can. I remember waiting for hours and hours with new friends for those lights to come on and jumping for joy at the moment they alighted. It made me realize how lucky i am to be seeing such a known monument and iconic feature. Its a special moment that can not be explained but can only be highly recommended.

(warning: this photo does moment NO justice!)